Dreadtober - 40k Skaven Dragoon, Complete!

Well, I really wasn't expecting this to be my first proper update. I had planned to do more work in progress shots, but I kept thinking "I'll keep painting and take a picture tomorrow". At some point, I realised that I was too close to finishing, and that I might as well just get it done and do one final post.

Anyway, here it is; the final product of my labours:

I've painted it up to match the rest of my 40k Skaven, so I went with the same teal/blue colour. It was pretty challenging in the end, as it is quite a big thing with a lot of details. I was quite inspired by the conversion though, so that helped. As usual, I started flagging towards the end, but somehow made it to the finish line without getting too distracted by all the Chaos that I've been working on.

I could probably go on and on about this thing, but I figure pictures are probably more interesting than my rambling, so here you go:

Well, that finishes my entry for Dradtober. See you all again next year!

Don't forget to check everyone's progress on the Dreadtober Blog: http://dreadtober.blogspot.com/

Dreadtober - 40k Skaven Dragoon - The Build

I've done it again, and I'm rather proud of this one. As with all of my work, I wanted the Dragoon to still be recognisable for what it was whilst also being rather different (and with a rat-man riding it obviously).

I decided beforehand that I wanted to change the Dragoon to have an upright body, and that it would probably have arms and a rider. Other than that, nothing was set and I went into this one knife in hand and ready to carve out the model one piece at a time.

With only a rough idea of where things were going, I built the legs stock as I wouldn't be changing those. I then cut the torso to remove the hip section and added all of that together to make a base to work from. I cut off the servitor driver as I wouldn't want him in there and then I flipped the body section so that the saddle actually formed the stomach of the beast. It also gave a nice neck form and a bit of shape. Overall, it was way too skinny though, so I kept building and adding parts to bulk it out, and his chest plate is made from the gun shield in the kit.

Sorry the photos aren't better, I was in a bit of a rush after spending so much time building it!

Overall, the conversion uses about 70% original parts from the Dragoon/Ironstrider kit. The largest part borrowed from another source is the front of a dreadnought (well it is Dreadtober after all!), which I used to build his shoulder pads as well as the command throne. There are also a few Killa Kan parts in there to build the arms and for some of the additional details. Don't ask me what else though, as it's a bit of a blur and I'm not sure I could name everything I've used. It was also quite a lot of work trying to shape the rat-pilot up top, but I like the big lever now that it's done!

In the end, the model probably took about a day to build, but I actually worked on it over 2 days to spread out the work and to give it time to dry in the middle there.

Style-wise, I've tried to keep it true to the rest of the force with combined Mechanicus, Skaven and Ork parts. I always try to give the models a bit of an evil look or edge to them too, as Skaven should look pretty bad to the bone. I'm always wary of keeping it looking futuristic though, and not going too all-out Skaven on things, as I never want the army to look too much like their fantasy counterparts.

Originally, I had thought of mounting the pilot lower down on its back, but after I added the exhausts I knew he wouldn't fit. I quite like the face that having him "up top" sort of echoes the position of the rider on the Doom Wheel for fantasy, so it adds a little throwback too. It does make the whole thing quite tall though, and I'd be interested to see it side by side with a regular Ironstrider.

Anyway, that concludes the build, which should give me about a month to get it painted. Hopefully it shouldn't be a problem, but it is a rather detailed model (and quite large now!)

Entering Dreadtober 2018 - 40k Skaven Dragoon!

If there's one thing I love it's a community hobby challenge. Despite that, I've never entered Dreadtober (the annual dreadnought/large model painting event).

I started thinking about the challenge, and I realised that I had the perfect project all boxed up and ready to go. A few months ago, some of you may remember my really successful 40k Skaven project that I completed during Squaduary. For that challenge, I completed 15 infantry, my Dominus, and a converted Dune Crawler (the "Doom Crawler"). Around that time, I also picked up a Sydonian Dragoon kit, but I ended up shelving the project for a while as I didn't have a clear idea of what I was going to do with the kit and I also got a bit burned out and switched project.

Time to add some more models to the force!

Well, inspiration finally hit, and I've started hashing out some ideas of what I'm going to do. With any luck I should have a really cool and interesting.

For more on the event, it's all available at: https://dreadtober.blogspot.com/

I hope you'll enjoy following my progress, it should be great!

The doom crawler was a big success. Hopefully the next walker will be as nice when it's finished!

Monster March - Stormfiends/Kastelan Robots Week 2

Well, I'm on target to get these guys finished. I've completed all of the teal armour, and basecoated and washed the skin down. I also added a base coat to the base, so I've made a start on most of the areas. I added a few more parts to them too and finished the gap fill since my post last week.

I'm painting them as a batch together as there are a lot of mixed colours, and I can't be bothered to do it all twice! It is starting to feel like a bit of a strain though. I think I overdid it in February, so after I finish these two, it'll be time for a break from 40k for a while. There is a local painting competition coming up soon too, so maybe that'll give me a bit of a break from it all.

Just to prove that I'm making decent progress, I've painted their backs too! I really like the little brain rats on their backs, although I'm a little confused as to how they were supposed to fit in fantasy with brain rats that seem to have some type of psychic hoods on them on the models. I know Skaven always had a lot of technology, but really?

Anyway, that rounds out this week's progress. We're about half way there, and I'm probably over the half way mark, so things are looking pretty good.

40k Skaven, Finished Transuranic Arquebus Squad

Just a quick post to show one of the units that I painted for this year's Squaduary. They were a bit of a last minute addition after I had finished the 10 man Vanguard unit, and I didn't get to post any individual pictures of them at the time.

The arquebuses are actually conversions using Jezzails from the Dragoon kit (somewhat ironic that they're called Jezzails, just like the classic Skaven models). I had to build the rests for them, and I was careful to make sure that they matched, so I used some spare rails from the Onager's Eradication Beam that I had 2 of.

It's cool having 2 finished troop choices and an HQ anyway, as it feels like the basics have been taken care of.

I'm still working on a pair of Stormfiends for the army for Monster March, so check back later to see how I get on.

40k Skaven Sicarian Infiltrators - Gutter Runners in the 41st Millennium

To say that I'm proud of these conversions would be an understatement. They might just be my favourite thing from the army so far!

I have to admit that I really love the standard Sicarian models, so I was a bit hesitant to start carving them up to make them more Skaven-y. I ended up doing a lot of carving about to make them. I had to repurpose a lot of parts and  having 3 or four arms on each one seems to be the theme that I've gone for this time.

I've used some Storm Vermin leg plates to create the Samurai-type armour on the tops of the arms.

Probably the best picture of the squad. They don't always look quite true to life in the other shots where I've singled them out, but this one nails it. Apologies for the half painted one at the back. He was a bit of a salvage from an older project.

I managed to get them looking good by taking the Stormvermin bodies and cutting them at the waist on the front half. I then merged those parts onto the Sicarian legs and arms with some greenstuff to fill in the gaps and make the robes. They do still need a bit of work to fill in some of the areas that I haven't gotten round to. In particular some of the gaps around the eye lenses and sensors that I grafted onto the Stormvermin heads need a bit of work. Handily, the backpacks gave me a number of cool bits to add to them to tech them up suitably.

If I can keep working well, I'm hoping to batch these up for undercoats and basecoats with the airbrush at the same time as the 2 Stormfiends I've been working on for Monster March.

Threatening, or singing? You decide! I couldn't help but use the chord claws to create cool poses.

Special knife ... for stabbing. I sahved a few heads flat to get a different look from the standard Stormvermin.

You can see how the build is put together a bit more clearly by looking at the backs of the figures.

Well that about sums it all up. I think I've achieved what I set out to with these. I really liked the idea that they would be a support unit; a bit like the skirmishing Night Runners. For that reason, I wanted to go with the guns. I also really like the Taser Goads as I think they look great with the Skaven aesthetic. All in all it was an easy decision to make for the armaments.

 

Well that about rounds it out for now. Check back later to see how I get on with the next wave of painting!

Showcase: Converted Onager, 40k Skaven Tank - "The Doomcrawler"

I finished painting this conversion as part of Squaduary, but I didn't get the time to take proper photos of it, other than the group shots with the army. I thought it would be cool to do a little showcase with more angles, so people could get a better look at it.

I'm really happy with how this thing came out, especially with the paint all finished up. I felt like it needed a crewman to really tie it in with the rest of the force and to make it clear what force it belongs to.

The original build was inspired by the Tachikomas from Ghost in the Shell, and the blue colour certainly brings it home. If you missed my earlier posts, this thing is basically an Onager with the cab flipper 180 degrees and joined to the back of the main leg section with a custom joint. Almost all of the pieces used are from the original Onager kit. 

I had originally thought of equipping it with the Iccarus Array, but when I sized up the parts I chose the Neutron Laser as it was the only gun big enough to fit the stretched out frame. Despite the increased length, it still balances really well on the base, and the build is as solid as a rock; although some of the is probably due to the great bond you get with plastic glue!

I'm happy with the crewman too. He has a little radio and control stick to give orders with. The radio voice piece actually connects to a little transmitter on his belt, but I forgot to take a picture of it. I painted him separately from the main tank, but he is the only part that was separated for painting. I might have broken it up more, but the extent of the conversion wouldn't allow it.

I'm still working on the army. I've got some Stormfiends that I'm working on for Monster March, and I've also been working on another unit that I'll post about tomorrow. Until next time then...

Monster March 2018 - 40k Skaven Stormfiends/Kastelan Robots

With a very successful Squaduary out of the way, I thought it was about time for a rest.

Or Not...

So I signed up to the very next painting challenge that came along!

If you missed it last year, Monster March is an event being run by Sword Master over at Path of an Outcast. Much like Squaduary, the event is a month long painting challenge. As the title suggests, the theme for this one is "monster" or something big and monstrous.

For my part, I've pledged a pair of converted Stormfiends to be used as Kastelan Robots for my 40k Skaven/Mechanicus force. I think painting them should be quite manageable in a month, especially compared to the quantity of models that I put out in February. They should give me a good boost in points and add some much needed backbone to the force. If I have the time, I'll also add a Datasmith to the force, as one would traditionally accompany them into battle.

I've had these models since Christmas, and they were one of the main inspirations for the force. I don't think they'll need too much conversion, as they already look like they belong in 40k, so with any luck a few techno-bits skilfully placed should do the trick. I also have some other units in the works, so there should be a steady stream of posts coming over the next few weeks as work continues.

I have done some more extensive work on one of them; building a large double handed twin heavy phosphor blaster. I'm most happy with the little mechanical arm and leaver set up. These pictures are still very much work in progress, so there will be more work and more filling yet to come. In particular, the gun needs more work, but as this is a challenge that will be running all month, I wanted to get a post up to introduce what I was doing.

The shoulder mounts look better in person, maybe it's the pale colour of the resin compared to the rest of the model?

The mechanical arm is my favourite part.

Squaduary 2018: The End, 40k Skaven Army Showcase

Well, I'm finally finished. The challenge was to paint a squad in February, and I pledged 10 40k Skaven troops (for use as Skitarii Vanguard) with a Dominus as the extra stretch goal. I've absolutely smashed my original target. This year, I'm delivering 10 Vanguard and the Dominus, plus the Doom-Crawler (Onager) and an additional 5 man Arquebus unit.

The pictures are a bit cramped as I've done so much that they don't really fit in my usual photo area! I'll be posting some more shots of the units individually soon, but for the moment, I need a rest!

You can see every man in this picture!

I'm really happy with how they've come out. The teal has been fun to paint, which is lucky as I've seen a lot of it now. I'm particularly happy with the converted Onager, which is looking great. I want to make another one now, but I'm trying to stay sensible, well almost.

I've already got a load more units on my work desk, but I'll be taking it a bit slower with the next batch. The important part is that I have enough units finished to really count the army as a proper thing; not to mention a good base to build from. I can't believe it's only been a month since I started this force. 

Once again, thanks to Rory over at Stepping Between Games for running this year's Squaduary. I wouldn't have even started these guys without the event!

Skaven Onager Conversion Vs Mechanicus Onager

Just for fun, some side by side shots of my 40k Skaven Onager (In the slightly dodgy teal/blue airbrush) and my brother's really nice completed Onager.

We had a bit of a Squaduary paint up the other day, and I took the opportunity to take these shots at the start of the session. I'd just finished airbrushing the basic colours in time to start the real work, so sorry it's a bit basic. As he brought over all of his Mechanicus, I thought it might be interesting to see how the two vehicles compared structurally.

Scale wise, you can see that the Skaven version is a bit longer, but actually it isn't that noticeable. It's strange, but it almost looks like a new Mechanicus unit or something. They wouldn't look out of place next to each other if it wasn't for the clashing colours.

It'll be a lot of work, but I'm still planning to finish this thing off in time for the end of Squaduary. With any luck, I can really nail it over the weekend and have a finished model on display by the time next Wednesday rolls round. I can't believe how short this month has seemed!

Squaduary 40k Skaven - The End of Week 3

I finished my official pledge this week, so for me the struggle is over. Thanks to Rory over at Stepping Between Games for running this awesome community event!

Just for fun, I've taken some exciting group shots of the 40k Skaven I've been working on. I'm really happy with how they look; especially as this army has been a far fetched pipe-dream project for me for so long.

 

 

Despite all of the work that I've put into this force in February, I'm still not finished and I'm planning to paint this converted Onager (pictured below) by the end of February too. Hopefully it'll make for a photo finish, and give me one final update for Squaduary to go with the final wave of posts next week!

 

Interestingly, if I can paint this thing, it'll be the equivalent of having painted the entire Start Collecting Box!